If It's For Her
by WickedSong
Summary: "A slushie, a laugh, a strange look. It doesn't matter." Sam attempts to show Mercedes how much she means to him and whether that be by taking a slushie or joining the swim team, it's worth it for her.
1. What You Mean To Me

**If It's For Her,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

**Disclaimer/Note : I don't own Glee, FOX do! This is based off the snippet we got in the first Yes/No (The Proposal) promo of Sam getting slushied so spoilers for 3x10 ahead.**

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><p>A slushie never changed.<p>

It was always cold, harsh and unexpected.

There was always the inevitable gasp as the liquid hit your skin, burnt your eyes and you momentarily forgot where you were as your body and brain registered the shock from how cold it actually was.

Sam Evans had been lucky compared to other members of the glee club. Sure he had been slushied twice but only one of those times had it been while he was on his own.

Now, it was a year later and he was standing in the middle of the hallway dripping wet due to the orange coloured slushie that had been thrown his way. By who he didn't know. All he could do was sigh, shrug it off and head to his locker, despite the whispers from those around him. Even the laughter didn't get to him.

In his mind, the teasing, the laughing was worth it.

Synchronised swimming practice had been tough but that was worth it too.

It was all worth it.

He put his swimming stuff in his locker, took out a spare towel and walked to the bathroom, still dripping wet but not hiding the fact that he had been slushied. If it had happened a year ago he probably would've hid in the nearest classroom until the corridors were deserted but this wasn't last year.

It was only glee practice he was missing and the assignment this week was finding the perfect love song to help Mr. Schue propose to Ms. Pillsbury with. Sam had no doubt, as he was rinsing out the slushie from his hair, that Rachel and Finn were launching into a sugary sweet duet with plenty of eye sex and tension for the entire room to feel.

He wasn't going to miss anything out of the ordinary he was sure.

"What the hell happened to you?"

He turned to see Puck come out of one of the stalls. Sam held up the towel which was now a similar colour to the slushie and then gestured to himself. Puck nodded in acknowledgement of this.

"Well we all saw that coming from a mile away, dude," he replied, with some sympathy in his voice as he leaned on one of the sinks beside his friend.

"Why are you not in glee today?" asked Sam, as he turned the taps off and dried himself off.

Puck shrugged. "It's all about marriage, love, relationships this week."

"Too manly for you, I'm guessing?" questioned Sam, with teasing in his voice but Puck waved it off.

"Been burned too many times by love my friend," Puck answered. "Never going back there again. But it seems like you're walking through fire for it, aren't you?"

"What do you mean?"

Puck snorted. "OK, you seriously think we all don't know why you're doing this?" When Sam didn't reply, he continued. "Because it's pretty obvious that you aren't doing this synchronised swimming thing because you woke up one day and decided it was what you wanted to do with your life. So tell me, why are you doing it?"

"Look at who she's dated. You, a football player, me and I was on the football team. And now Shane, football team and full scholarship. See a connection?" In case he didn't, Sam poked at his friend's letterman's jacket which he wore.

Puck shook his head. "I think we could just call that a coincidence and move on. She dated me because it looked good for the both of us, she dated you because you're a good guy and she's dating Shane because..." Puck shrugged his shoulders. "To be honest, I don't know why she's dating Shane. I've asked Kurt, Quinn, even Santana. We don't really get a reason."

"Why do you think she's dating him?" Sam questioned, all of a sudden interested in this topic.

"Honestly, man," Puck started, "because she never got over you. She can go about talking about you two were 'so June' or whatever," Sam winced at the mention of the video where she very publicy put down their relationship, their relationship which was so much more than a 'summer fling', "but you can still see she wants you."

Sam was pleased by this and smiled slightly. "Yeah, well I plan on showing her that I still want her too."

"I'm sure she knows," Puck assured him, and it was clear he was thinking about when Sam called down the hallway after Mercedes, telling her in no uncertain terms that he would fight to get her back.

Sam nodded but a conversation he had with her, shortly before he had joined the swim team had him thinking.

* * *

><p><em>"I'm happy. OK, Shane makes me happy," <em>

_Mercedes stared Sam down as they stood in the deserted choir room. They had both, by chance, arrived for glee almost twenty minutes early, Sam because he had no where else to be and Mercedes because her watch had been twenty minutes too fast and she had originally thought she was late._

_They had been having an easy conversation, lighthearted until Shane had come up. Almost as soon as Sam had asked about the football player Mercedes had made her declaration._

_"And why don't I believe that?" he asked her. "If I did, I wouldn't be trying this hard. But you're trying to brush us aside as if we never happened. We did."_

_"Why are you trying this hard?" she questioned. "What was there really about me that was all that special to you anyway. You could have any girl in this school if you wanted and yet you choose me." _

_Her expression was a mix of irritation but there was also that question in her eyes, the question she was always asking herself. The question she had always wanted to ask him because she had never quite believed that he really wanted her._

_But before he could answer she shook her head and held her hand up._

_"You know what, it doesn't matter. I'm with Shane now." But the force and the conviction that she probably wanted to say that with never reached her voice or her eyes._

_"I'm going to prove to you that you're the only one that I want, I promise."_

_It was so similar to his last declaration that she was almost taken aback by the sincerity in his voice but everyone else started arriving for rehearsal and so she couldn't reply._

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><p>"So that's why you took a slushie as well then?"<p>

"A slushie, a laugh, a strange look. It doesn't matter. You never know what's going to happen in the future, so you have to go for what you want in the here and now because that's the most important thing."

Puck clapped his friend on the back and nodded, then regarded him closely. After a minute he went to leave the bathroom but not before quickly shouting, "We're all rooting for you by the way, even Santana!"

Sam had to smile at this and quickly followed Puck, taking his towel with him.

He had never lost his resolve to show her that he loved and wanted her and this only strengthened it.

So he would continue to swim, continue to take slushies, continue to take whatever came his way because it was all worth it.

Because it was for her.

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><p><strong>This wasn't one of my best but I just needed to write something Samcedes and then I thought of this. I just love how Sam is going to do this and prove that he will 'do anything' to get her back, quoted from a Chord Overstreet interview where he explains Sam's reasoning for joining the swim team. <strong>

**So tell me what you think. And are we all excited for January? I know I can't wait!**

**WickedSong x**


	2. Those Summer Nights

**If It's For Her,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

**Disclaimer/Note : In the first chapter. This was originally a oneshot but I decided to continue it. It's not going to be extremely long, under ten chapters at least I think but who knows? Still spoilers from 3x10 because I am incorporating an important song into this chapter. You'll see ;)**

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><p>About halfway through the period was when Sam and Puck managed to make their entrance into the choir room for glee club.<p>

"You're late," Mr. Schue pointed out in a stern voice but upon seeing Sam, still with some slushie on him, his tone softened. "What happened? Do we need to see Figgins about this?"

He shook his head, sitting down on the nearest available seat at the front, next to Rory, while Puck walked up to the seat behind him. Sam threw his bag on the floor. "Just some idiots throwing slushies." He sighed, knowing it wasn't going to change. "The usual."

Rachel frowned in surprise. "But no one's been slushied." She looked to her boyfriend. "Well except Finn but that was at the beginning of the year." Finn gave a small frown and Rachel gave him a reassuring pat on the arm.

Sam shrugged. "Well, whoever it was it doesn't matter." He looked across the line to see Mercedes, who looked down, refusing to make eye contact with him. Leaning back on his seat, Sam smiled. "It's worth it."

Not everyone in the room knew what he meant but those who did gave a small smile and then discreetly looked to Mercedes, who still didn't lift her eyes, resolutely looking down.

"And last year I said he had no game," muttered Santana to Brittany and Puck.

"Right, right, let's get back on track now," Mr. Schue told the group, as he went to the whiteboard and wrote a few song suggestions. These included a few by Journey, to no one's surprise, some new music and some other classics.

The rest of the period flew by and Sam was surprised to have Santana standing in front of him, waiting to talk to him. Puck stood by her side while Rory was waiting for Sam and looked in fear at Santana.

"Oh don't worry, I'm not going to do anything to you," dismissed Santana. "No, I have to talk to Trouty here."

Sam quirked his lips into a smile. "What do you want, Santana?"

"Well see it's more about what you want," replied the Latina, as she took his arm, Puck on his other side, while Rory trailed behind them.

"I got to go anyway Sam. I said I'd meet Sugar to help her with a song for glee," his Irish friend said, waving bye.

Sam waved goodbye to him and then continued walking in step with Santana and Puck.

"What do you know about what I want?" he questioned.

"Oh come off it," Santana demanded. "Ever since those oversized lips of yours came back to this school, you were hell bent on two things. Win Sectionals," she still sounded bitter over that one, "and get Mercedes back. While I still don't think the first one was fair-"

"Santana, get to the point," Puck told her, folding his arms, as they continued walking down the corridor.

Santana grimaced at him. "Only speaking the truth." She shrugged her shoulders. "Anyway, we want to help you."

"Help me with-" Santana's 'are you being serious right now' face caused him to give up the act of not knowing what she was talking about and he gave her the same look back. "Why are you going to help me? What's in it for you."

Santana looked around the doors of classrooms before she answered, probably looking for an empty one. When she eventually found one, she dragged him in and Puck quickly followed, closing the door behind him.

"Look, I know that people think I'm a heartless bitch and maybe I am," Santana replied, shrugging her shoulders. "But if there is one thing I've learnt in the last year it's that you can't wait forever for something." Her confidence seemed to crack slightly. "I love Britt. I love her so much. But because I wasn't willing to do something about it, I almost lost her." But with that confession her walls rebuilt themselves and she found herself looking directly at Sam. "We all know you're trying here. We can all see it. She just doesn't want to see it. You need help."

"Like I said, it's obvious she still wants you," Puck commented, from the desk where he sat. "And I told you we were all rooting for you."

"And we mean it," Santana said. "I'm not saying that Shane's a bad guy by any means but they're not together for the right reasons. If it had been any other glee member I probably would let it self-explode on its own but 'Cedes means a lot to me now since we were in the Troubletones together." She shrugged. "I don't want to see her get hurt. I don't want to see her unhappy. And I know with you that both those things won't happen - or at least I hope they wouldn't."

At her warning eyes, Sam put his hands up. "I never have - and never would - hurt her intentionally. I know when I left I did. But I couldn't help it then. All I ever wanted was for us to be together."

Santana only gave a quick smile, left the room and said nothing as she sauntered off down the hallway.

Puck gave Sam a pat on the back. "I think that means you gave a good answer, dude."

Sam gave an equally hopeful smile as the two walked out of the room.

* * *

><p>"What exactly happened between you two during the summer anyway?" Rachel asked at lunch that day. The glee girls along with Kurt had decided to eat outside taking advantage of the nice weather which had presented itself that day.<p>

Mercedes rolled her eyes at Rachel and gave her an expression that said 'give it a rest.' But when everyone else nodded their head in agreement of wanting to know, she replied, simply and clearly. "We had a summer fling."

Everyone looked at her, some disbelieving, Quinn and Santana, some not so believing but not as obvious, Rachel, Tina and Kurt, and some accepted it for what she said, Brittany and Sugar, although Brittany did have that hint of doubt in her eyes.

She thought back to the moment in the hallway when she had told Sam the same thing and how much of a liar she had been there as she was being now.

* * *

><p><em>She felt a hand slip into hers and in an instant she knew who it was. Warm, calloused and a firm grip.<em>

_Sam._

_Subconsciously, Mercedes held on tighter but in another second she realised it was December, not June._

_In June there was Sam._

_But in December there was Shane._

_"What are you doing?" she asked, trying to mask the way her heart kind of sped up when she felt his hand in hers. She was trying to sound irritated, annoyed at him._

_"Holding your hand," he replied as if it was the simplest answer to the simplest question in the world and she knew that he knew that, yes, she was annoyed, but that the annoyance was slightly outweighed by the feeling she had when his hand was in hers._

_She let go quickly and had to stop herself from feeling as if there was something missing when she did so. She tried to stop herself from missing the way their hands just fit._

_"Don't. Sam, look, I-"_

_"I also heard about your new boyfriend." _

_He didn't sound angry or betrayed, just inquisitive._

_Before he could say anything else, Mercedes went to stand in front of him._

_"Then you heard he's built like a bulldozer." Stepping in front of him she held a hand out for him to stop walking and he did so, giving her that grin but she was not going to let it stop her from what she had to say. Steeling herself, she held onto her books and clarified, "We had a summer fling."_

_If it had been anyone else they probably would have believed her and she sounded convincing but no, the person in front of her was Sam. He knew her. She had stupidly decided to let him in._

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><p>"I think what we all want to know is what happened between Sam and 'Cedes over the summer. Come on dude, spill!"<p>

Sam sat at the top of the bleachers looking down at his friends, who looked ready and assembled to listen to the story. Everyone looked equally as interested as the other and he felt like he wanted to tell them but he didn't want to give everything away. There were some things that just had to stay between himself and Mercedes and that was what he preferred.

"Yeah, something big must've happened. Everyone can see you're jumping through hoops for her," Mike commented. "You had to be more than a summer fling, right?"

The guys made a huge murmur of noise, hoping to get it out of him, but Sam wouldn't budge not yet. His thoughts were somewhere else, that first conversation with her in the hallway after he came back.

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><p><em>He still grinned, even though anyone else would take that as a rejection. "It was more than that." Still wearing that stupidly adorable smile she knew he was remembering and so was she. Those moments in summer, moments that were more than a fling. Kissing, hugging, other things. Memories she didn't want to remember but ones she'd hate to forget.<em>

_He deserves the truth though. "I'll always have a special place in my heart for you," but a slight deviation from the truth wouldn't hurt anyway and maybe he'd believe her, "but I've moved on and you need to do the same."_

_With one last look into those green eyes, unsure what they were holding, she turns and walks away and she wasn't sure what she was expecting._

_"I don't care how big or bad your boyfriend is I'm gonna fight to get you back."_

_Sam grinned down the hallway, knowing, somehow, that she was smiling at his words, knowing that despite her declarations of 'so June', summer flings and moving on, he was still in her heart._

_Because despite the distance, neither had left the other._

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><p>"Guys, I'm sure you don't want to hear all the details!"<p>

Their shouts of disagreement proved him wrong.

"You really want to know what happened between us?"

The girls and Kurt all nodded attentively.

_"Summer lovin' had me a blast."_

_"Summer lovin' happened so fast."_

Sam stood up from the bleacher, smiling.

_"Met a girl crazy for me."_

Mercedes couldn't help the smile that crept up on her face when she thought of him.

_"Met a boy cute as can be."_

_"Summer days drifting away but uh oh those summer nights."_

The guys all crowded around Sam, as they wanted to ask him all sorts of questions.

_"Tell me more, tell me more."_

Blaine seemed to be the one to get there first. _"Did you get very far?"_

_"Tell me more, tell me more."_

Sugar questioned her friend, as did Quinn, _"Like does he have a car."_

As the guys continued to crowd around Sam, he began to tell them more about the summer.

_"She swam by me, she got a cramp."_

With an amused smile, Mercedes went on.

_"He went by me, got my suit damp."_

_"Saved her life, she nearly drowned."  
><em>

_"He showed off, splashing around."_

_"Summer sun, something's begun, but uh oh those summer nights."_

Both had smiles on their faces thinking about these events while the rest of the club saw this as their opportunity to get in their multitude of questions.

_"Tell me more, tell me more."_

Appreciating the theatricality of it all, Rachel and Tina had to ask, _"Was it love at first sight?"_

_"Tell me more, tell me more."_

And Puck just wouldn't be Puck without wondering,_ "Did she put up a fight?"_

_"Took her bowling in the arcade."  
><em>

_"We went strolling, drank lemonade."_

_"We made out under the dock."_

_"We stayed out till ten o'clock."_

_"Summer fling don't mean a thing but uh oh those summer nights."_

All the glee clubbers seemed fully invested in the story of their romance now, the guys running around the bleachers trying to ask more and more questions while the girls and Kurt excitedly listened as they sat at their outdoor lunch table.

_"Tell me more."_

Finn and Mike quickly added,_ "But you don't got to brag." _

_"Tell me more, tell me more."_

Both a seemingly unimpressed Kurt and Santana joined in,_ "'Cause he sounds like a drag." _But they quickly left their looks of derison behind to hear the next part of the story.

_"He got friendly, holding my hand."_

She remembered the moment at prom, when he told her she was beautiful and the moment in The Lima Bean when he had held her hand and smiled and reassured her that nobody knew. She even had a small smile thinking about when he held her hand in the hallway the previous month.

_"She got friendly, down in the sand."_

_"He was sweet just turned eighteen."_

_"She was good, you know what I mean."_

He smiled, knowing what he meant went way beyond how much of a physical relationship they had. Because she was good to him, he was good to her and they were good to each other. You could argue they were a perfect fit.

_"Summer heat, boy and girl meet but uh oh those summer nights."_

_"Tell me more, tell me more."_

The excitement reached a boiling point as Brittany jumped up and down while asking, _"How much dough did he spend?" _Brittany clearly didn't remember that Sam's family had been homeless at the time.

_"Tell me more, tell me more."_

Rory questioned,_ "Could she get me a friend?" _Obviously, in the moment, he had forgotten that Sam and Mercedes were no longer together. Puck quickly sat the younger boy down on the bench as Sam turned from his friends and walked to the top of the bleachers.

Mercedes also felt this sadness as she walked away from the girls and Kurt.

Both were reliving their heartbreaking goodbye.

_"It turned colder, that's where it ends."_

_"So I told her, we'd still be friends."_

_"Then we made our true love vow."_

_"Wonder what she's doing now."_

It had been late when Sam had shown up at her door, and he had quickly told her that his family were leaving the next morning. They were going to Kentucky. His dad had found an amazing job that he couldn't turn down.

She told him she had expected this. That their summer had just been too good to be true to be more than that. It still didn't stop the lump that was in her throat as she said these words and it didn't help the tears she wanted to cry so badly.

So they said goodbye. It was simple, one kiss, one hug, and a promise that they would try to stay in touch but that no matter what they'd never forget the other.

_"Summer dreams, ripped at the seams, but oh, those summer nights."_

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><p><strong>Holy crap, this was long wasn't it? So, what do you think? Originally this was oneshot but then I forgot to mark it as complete overnight, people wanted more, I asked on tumblr and I got an overwhelming 'do it!' response to continuing this.<strong>

**I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Especially the Summer Nights section. I don't know how it's going to play out on the show but this is probably my ideal for who sings what line and when. I wasn't even going to do that but the temptation took over me. Hope it isn't too weirdly written out. And also the flashback of the hallway scene was something I originally posted on tumblr and slightly edited to incorporate here so if it seems familiar that is why! :)**

**Anyway, please, please, if you're reading this, can you review? Please?**

**Reviews just make me happy. Haha! But thanks to everyone who has reviewed already and who has added this to their favourites. Hopefully this didn't disappoint you as a follow-up!**

**WickedSong x**


	3. Prom Night Memories

**If It's For Her,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

**Disclaimer/Note : In chapter one. I mention a song used in 3x10 but not the performance so this is where I feel like I'll start deviating from what will happen in canon.**

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><p>He had been making his way to the table where most of the glee club sat in the lunchroom the day following his chat with the glee guys when Sam noticed the foot in his way. He looked around to find it belonged to Santana, who sat at a table with Brittany, Puck, Rory and Sugar.<p>

"Take a seat, lips," she declared, taking her foot away as Puck removed his backpag from a vacant seat beside himself and Rory. Sam sat in between them, opposite Santana, Brittany and Sugar.

"You know, Santana, we get it, my lips are a bit big. Can't we move on from," he visibly cringed as he remembered, "Trouty Mouth?"

Santana shrugged and rolled her eyes. "What can I say? Old habits die hard. Besides, you should take it as a term of endearment. Not everyone gets a nickname." She gave a small laugh.

Sam assumed this meant she wasn't going to stop and so he didn't bring it up a second time and probably wouldn't try to do so again. As she said it was a term of endearment.

"Now I think you can guess what we're doing here," Puck said, looking around the small table, at the side of the room.

"Operation Chocolates White and Thunder is now a-go," Santana supplied, in case Sam didn't know.

Sam gave a look of slight bewilderment, and then a small smile as he cast his eyes down to his tray, knowing that he probably shouldn't have approved of the name as much as he did.

"We came up with the name ourselves," an excited Sugar revealed gesturing to herself and Rory.

Rory looked equally as excited, not even letting his overriding fear of Santana stop this, as he gave a thumbs up to his friend.

"Don't you think the name's a bit-"

"A bit what?" Sugar asked sharply, with a warning look, obviously not happy with even the slightest doubt being cast upon the name she had so carefully chosen.

Sam was sure the younger girl was going to pick up her fork and stab him with it if he didn't reply positively within the next five seconds but luckily Santana saved him. "Now, now, the name doesn't matter. What matters is the plan."

"Which is?"

She held up a hand. "Wait a sec, Trouty. A bit of background before I begin."

When Sam rolled his eyes, Santana looked just about ready to also use her fork to harm Sam but Puck, after looking behind him turned to her. "Not worth it, San. Just tell him."

She put her cutlery down but gave a warning look to Sam. "Right, what we know is that you joined swimming to impress her. Why? Because football is almost finished for the season and you think being a jock again will somehow increase the chances of her wanting to be with you even though we can put her dating three jocks down to a coincidence."

Sam looked to Puck, recognising a lot of that from the conversation they had had earlier on in the week, and realising that he must've told Santana most of it.

Puck shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, only trying to help dude."

Sam failed to see how telling Santana his insecurities would help but he nodded to hear the rest of what she had to say.

"But what's actually coming off from it is that you're gonna do mostly anything, even something as further down on the food chain from Glee as synchronised swimming."

"I would do anything."

"Exactly."

"So what do you propose we do?"

"I like the use of the word propose here, because you're gonna use Mr. Schue's assignment to your advantage."

* * *

><p>That afternoon, before Glee rehearsal, Sam managed to catch Mercedes just as she was leaving her last class. It wasn't actually on purpose this time but the timing couldn't have been any better.<p>

"Hey, Mercedes, wait up!"

He didn't know whether or not she was ignoring him or not and he was almost certain his effort to talk to her would be futile until she eventually turned around. He stopped and simply smiled at her when she did so.

"Well hurry up or you'll make us both late."

His grin only widened at this but he obliged and ran to catch up with her. She began walking again, at a slightly slower pace until he was walking in step with her.

"So what do you want?" she finally asked after a moment of silence between the two of them, only their shoes being heard on the corridors, which were mostly deserted, except for one or two kids still lingering at their lockers.

"Can't a guy walk with a girl to glee without wanting something?" he replied in mock hurt. She gave him an expectant look as if she knew what he was doing and he nodded. "OK, OK, I have something for you. It's not a lot but..."

"You don't have to get me anything. We're not together anymore and nothing will change that. I'm with-"

"Shane, yeah, I know," Sam said, finishing her sentence. He added quietly, hoping she didn't hear, "Don't remind me." He shook his head and spoke more clearly and this time to her. "And it's a late Christmas present."

"But Sam-"

"No buts. It took me a while to do this."

"Do what?"

They turned a corner and arrived at his locker which he opened quickly, before pulling out a parcel wrapped in colourful Christmas paper. "I know it's January but better late than never, right. I meant to ask someone to drop it off at Christmas but I wanted to give you it myself."

"You really didn't have to. I didn't get you anything. I'll feel bad." She folded her arms as he tried to give her the parcel.

He kept pushing it in her direction though. "I have no problems with being late to glee a second practice in a row."

She gave a long sigh and took it from him. "Ok, but this doesn't change-" Her last words were cut off when she opened to find a photo frame with a picture of them at prom night. It wasn't even the prom portrait with Rachel also in it. It was just the two of them. Dancing.

Mercedes looked up at him. "Don't do this to me," she demanded. "Don't make me remember."

"Remember what? How that night felt. Because it was a lot more than what you make everyone think it was," Sam said. "The start of some small summer fling that you never think about. The start of 'so June.' When that picture, it proves it was a whole lot more than that."

He looked down at the picture and in it they looked close. Her arms were around his neck, his around her waist, At first they had been awkward, not really sure what to do, but eventually they had settled into a comfortable position, she looking at him, beaming and him looking at her, with a matching expression.

Mercedes didn't speak. She only looked down at the picture. Eventually she found words. "This is beautiful. But it reminds me of what was, what could have been and just what isn't anymore. I can't look at you and say I don't have feelings because I do." She shook her head. "You left. I know you had no choice but you left. I thought I wasn't going to see you again so I moved on. Can't you understand that?"

"You keep telling me that but I don't believe it."

"Why?"

"Because you still look at me the way you did this summer."

She didn't have a reply to that one.

"I'll see you in glee."

Sam watched as Mercedes walked down the corridor and he noticed that she still held the picture close to her. She didn't hand him it back.

He grinned at this as he closed his locker door.

* * *

><p><em>"Sam, I'm not exactly sure what you're looking for," Rory confessed as he scrolled through the seemingly endless photos on the school website of the 2011 Junior Prom.<em>

_"There was a picture of Mercedes and I dancing during prom. I'm gonna give her that picture for Christmas."_

_"A picture she can find on the internet?" _

_The symbolism and what this picture represented seemed to go over Rory's head._

_"It's more about that night, rather than the picture. It was the night I finally saw her, like really saw her," Sam clarified, as he also scrolled on the computer next to him in the school library. _

_Rory gave a mock salute. "I guess we'd better keep looking then, right?"_

_"Right?"_

_They gave up their search that day and between helping at the soup kitchen, ringing the bell outside stores and school work he felt as if this was a futile mission. _

_That was until miraculously Brittany came through for him._

_"How did you find it?" Sam questioned Rory, as he looked at the picture, happiness and excitement bubbling up inside him. He hugged his friend in his elation before placing the picture carefully in a plastic wallet in one of his binders. He had bought the small frame a couple of days so the hardest part was over._

_"Brittany has all the pictures. Says she loves the memories. She got me a copy so you should thank her really."_

_Sam nodded and then raised a fist in the air in happiness in the middle of the hallway._

* * *

><p>"...so Mr. Schue, while we all agree these ideas are from the depths of your romantic soul, we believe we have found a better way for you to propose to Ms. Pillsbury," Rachel finished quickly and then nodded to Santana.<p>

"So, we all know that Trouty Mouth here has decided to join his kind in the water-"

"Cold, Santana."

"That was harsh."

"I'm used to it by now."

"Sam isn't a fish. Or is he?"

Santana ignored Kurt, Finn, Sam and Brittany, although she did give the latter a bright smile, and continued, "-and Coach Washington said that she would be alright with us using the pool so why not a song to an awesome synchronised swimming routine."

Rachel and Santana looked at each other before Rachel spoke up. "We've been working on the perfect duet, which talks about finding love and hope from someone when nothing else seems to be going right." No one missed the pointed look Rachel shot at Mercedes and then at Sam and then at how she sort of nodded her head, to one back to the other.

She had become excited at the prospect of this plan and subtly in showing this was not her strong point. Santana cleared her throat and then spoke, "We thought it would fit perfectly."

Everyone who was in on the plan, this included every glee clubber except Mercedes, looked brightly optimistic at this idea, much to her confusion. Of course Rachel's look had not gone unnoticed.

Mr. Schue nodded, and looked as if he approved of what they were saying. "I like it guys. We'll have to practice it though. I'm thinking I should propose next week at the latest." He looked at the clock. "OK, that's you all dismissed. I'll talk to Coach Washington in the morning and if we can, we'll use the pool. Bring what you'll need."

He left and before Mercedes could tell the group she had an inkling they were up to something they had all left, except Santana.

"Look, San, I know you're doing what you think is right but I'm with Shane-"

"And you're happy, and you're totally not missing Sam, and you want to live the rest of your life with Shane and have those cocoa babies once you get that Grammy while he becomes an amazing football player."

That was the thing about Santana. She didn't sugarcoat anything. It was clear from the sarcasm in her voice that she had her doubts about this plan.

"And you think I'll be happy with Sam?"

"I've lived in denial before. It may seem like a pretty city on the inside but once you knock down all the buildings all you're left with is self-loathing and resentment." Santana hugged her quickly, an action which caught Mercedes off guard but something she returned. "We may have always been at each other's throats before but...but you're one of my best friends now." And as quickly as an uncertainty and vulnerability in her voice came, she changed to her more confident self. "And I will not let one of my best friends live in that city, not when I did."

Mercedes hugged her. "Just...just give me time to think. Please."

Santana nodded her head. "We're still doing this song and the operation is still underway but take your time. You're lucky. I think he'd wait forever if it meant one more chance with you."

Santana didn't say anything else, picking up her bag and leaving Mercedes to face the words she had said.

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter was fun to write. I had been planning that whole Sam giving Mercedes the picture thing for so long but it didn't fit into a oneshot and the opportunity just presented itself in this chapter. And Operation Chocolates White and Thunder is finally in motion. There is more to this plan than We Found Love but I'm really writing this as I go so who knows? I'm not gonna lie to you all! Haha!<strong>

**I think next chapter I may do more from Mercedes' POV, including maybe writing some Shane (the things I do for you, readers) but he won't be in this story a lot. **

**Thank you for the wonderful reviews, the messages on tumblr and the favourites/alerts and some people have even put me on their favourites/alerts for being an author so that is awesome! It just means so much to me!**

**Until next time,**

**WickedSong x**


	4. A Hundred Slushies

**If It's For Her,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

**Disclaimer/Note : In chapter one. As in previous chapter there's a spoiler warning. So I'm not doing the We Found Love scene but I am doing the pre/post of the scene (or at least what I imagine would happen in my ideal world pre/post this scene obviously). Again, some of this (the Finn and Sam scene) is based off of the promo. "Swimming is sexy." "Not if it's synchronised." Keep that exchange in mind.**

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><p><em>"Look Evans you were a strong quarterback and if you had been here for the start of the season who knows," Coach Beiste began and Sam knew he would facing rejection in his mission to regain his place on the football team, "but there's only one game left of the season and there's no space on the team. " She sighed. "I'm sorry."<em>

_Sam nodded his head, understanding where she was coming from, even if he was frustrated that what he needed to do was not going to plan at all. He turned to leave the locker room but was surprised by Coach calling him back._

_"Why do you want back on the team, if I can ask," was her question._

_Sam thought for a moment and then replied, not a complete lie but not the complete truth either. "I like football. I enjoy playing it. I just wanted to be back on the team, that's all."_

_Coach Beiste took some of the weights which had been left on the bench press off and then sat down, thoughtfully looking at the boy before her. "You know, Evans, I like to think that I'm more than a Coach, at least to some of you guys, you know, Hudson, Chang, Puckerman, Abrams. Like a back up guidance conseuler. So I'm going to ask you again. Why do you want back on my team?" He sighed deeply. He didn't want to tell her. It didn't feel right to just be opening up to a teacher about matters of the heart but she spoke up again before he had the chance, laughing a little before she did. "I even talked to Abrams about my non-existent love life while we were working on West Side Story, if you can believe that."_

_Sam gave an odd look to that, which she responded to by laughing at. She kicked a chair in his direction. "Sit down, blondie."_

_He complied. "I was being honest when I said I miss football and being on the team but I also want or more like need my letterman jacket back." When the Coach only nodded as if to tell him to go on, he continued, "When I left I left someone really important to me behind and I want her back. I'll do anything."_

_"So this all about impressing some girl?" Beiste shot up. "Come on. I'm sure we can find some sport that you can do. Maybe I'll even talk to Coach Washington, see if she'll let you join synchronised swimming. She needs new recruits anyway. Leave it with me, Evans."_

_Sam jumped up from his seat, happily. "Really? Thanks, Coach!"_

_"Now, now, I said I'd try. I can understand fighting for love," she said, not looking as if she was going to expand on that subject and Sam was fine with that. He already felt weird enough divulging his feelings to a teacher anyway. "Although if this girl means this much to you maybe the letterman doesn't matter. Just something for you to think about. Come see me tomorrow after school."_

* * *

><p><em>"You need to do something sexy," Finn advised later on that same day, after glee rehearsal as they walked to his car. "You know, according to Santana and Brittany she was pretty impressed with The Windy City at Sectionals."<em>

_Sam nodded. "Noted."_

_The boys got in and Finn started the car. As they drove Sam thought about what he had said until Finn brought him out of his thoughts and into reality when he started speaking._

_"So tell me about you and Mercedes. How did it even happen? Rachel swears it was prom-"_

_"New York. It was actually thanks to you and the way you kissed Rachel on stage in a way," Sam interrupted, not looking at Finn, and instead focusing his attention on either his feet or looking out the window. "At first I wasn't going to go for it with her. Yeah, I had a crush and she liked me and it was great to be with her because she would be there to listen, to help but I couldn't afford a girlfriend-"_

_It was Finn's turn to interrupt. "You know she doesn't care about the material stuff."_

_"Of course but you know where I'm coming from." Finn nodded and Sam continued, "But then I could see you laying it all on the line for the person you loved and I-I realised that if I let Mercedes get away then, I would probably never get another chance."_

_He was lost in that moment as if it had only just happened. The deserted hotel room. His nervous stumble around the words 'will you go out with me', her demanding yet soft tone when she was asking what he meant, and then finally their first kiss. He smiled at the memory from just under seven months ago._

_His life had taken turn after turn in the whole year and she had been one of the few bright lights._

_Until fate had put an end to that._

_Finn didn't question him anymore and continued driving in silence._

* * *

><p>"Come on guys, it's easy!"<p>

"You've been doing this for two weeks, we haven't," Finn replied to Sam's insistence as the guys assembled got in a last minute rehearsal of the routine. The girls were taking longer getting their swimsuits on and so they had taken the extra time to perfect the moves. Artie sat at the side, calling out instructions like a drill sergeant, obviously unable to take part in the actual routine.

"So, I'm lost, how exactly will this help in the plan?" Rory asked, as he almost slipped but managed to regain himself in enough time.

"Well, Irish-"

"Hello Santana."

Santana didn't waste any time with greeting Rory, getting straight to the point. "-at this point we're not being direct in our efforts, no, this is just to remind Mercedes how much she loves Guppy Face over here."

"And how does this song do that?" asked Mike.

Sam had to be amazed at how everyone in glee club had basically pulled through for him. They had all agreed with Santana in their assessment of Shane and the girls and Kurt had been especially won over by the fond way she spoke of Sam when they had had their lunchtime chat.

Rachel was the next one to walk beside the pool. "That is an excellent question. The lyrics of the song will appeal to her romantic side while reminding her of the amazing summer romance she and Sam shared."

"Plus, hopefully Ms. Pillsbury will accept Mr. Schue's proposal. Two birds with one stone," Finn added.

Mr. Schue walked into the hall with the pool and looked around in amazement. "Perfect!" he exclaimed clapping his hands together. "This is perfect! She's going to love it!"

Rachel walked over to the adjoining locker room and knocked on the door. "Come on ladies, we have a wooing...I mean a proposal to pull off!"

The girls all had on identical swimsuits, red and white striped tops with a white bow, and a flowing blue skirt that went to the knees. They were tied at the neck and all girls had their hair to the side in buns, held in place by white flowers.

Sam's heart almost skipped a beat when he saw Mercedes. Not that she didn't always look beautiful but there was something about the swimsuit that made him unable to take his eyes off her.

"Sam," Santana warned, "either stop staring or go talk to her or I'll force you to go talk to her."

"Sorry, focus," Sam said, tearing his eyes away to catch Santana giving him a pointed look. When he turned his head back around Mercedes was still in his line of view and he was faced with his predicament once again.

"Boys," dismissed Santana as she shook her head and pushed Sam so that he was face to face with Mercedes. "I wasn't joking around, loverboy," she muttered, before stalking off to go speak to Brittany and Sugar.

"Oh hey Sam," Mercedes said, when she saw he was standing right in front of her. She took her hand and tried to adjust the flower in her hair.

"It's fine," Sam assured her.

"Habit, I guess."

He nodded. "You look...you look..." Trying to find the word was difficult. It was beautiful. But it was somehow more than that and why he couldn't put his finger on it he couldn't figure out. Maybe he was just nervous because her looking this good around him made him feel things he shouldn't be feeling about a girl with a boyfriend, especially a bulldozer like Shane.

"Right guys! Time to get into position."

"Damn, Mr. Schue, talk about bad timing," Sugar cursed out loud, before walking to the side of the pool, with the rest of the glee clubbers, all hidden from sight. Mr. Schue gave a confused glance to the girl but she didn't elaborate on the reasoning for her outburst.

Sam and Mercedes gave each other small smiles before going to their opposite sides of the pool, as they waited for Ms. Pillsbury to arrive.

* * *

><p>"Oh Will, of course I will!"<p>

Ms. Pillsbury had the brightest smile on her face, bright enough to fill an entire room as Mr. Schue placed the engagement ring on her finger. She looked down at it with tears clear in her eyes before she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

Everyone in glee beamed at each other, Finn pulling Rachel into a tight hug whispering something in her ear, Brittany placed a small kiss on Santana's cheek, and wrapped her arms securely around her, something which Santana returned happily. Sugar jumped up and down excitably with Rory, who looked content to let the girl do so while Puck and Artie high fived. Mike and Tina had their arms around each other's waists, as did Kurt and Blaine and Quinn and Mercedes were laughing happily with each other at this development.

Sam stood by himself at the side, smiling on as he watched the teachers and everyone around him interact with each other. He felt slightly alone, not because he couldn't join in with the celebrations but because he couldn't hug or kiss the one person he wanted to. Finn could hug Rachel that tightly because she was his girlfriend, Brittany could kiss Santana on the cheek because she was her girlfriend too but he was doomed to be so close but so far to the one person he wanted to be with. How was that fair? _Life isn't fair, Evans, you know that._

Before he could gather the nerves to actually talk to Mercedes again though, the girls had already all shuffled inside their locker room to change and the guys were leaving the gym with the pool to go to a different locker room. Sam trailed behind the rest of the guys, only to find himself surrounded by the hockey team.

"We thought the last slushie would have taught you something about doing something much lower on the food chain than glee club," Rick, who had miraculously recovered from his coma over the winter break, commented, slushie in hand.

"Oh, so that was you. Good to know," Sam told them, a smirk on his lips. He held his arms out. "Well, you may as well do it now. I'm going to get changed anyway."

"How the mighty fall don't they? First on football, quarterback, then dropped for Finn Hudson. Cheated on by one girlfriend because of the same guy, then it turns out the next girlfriend is a lesbian. Embarrassing much?" Rick seemed to be enjoying this slow taunt.

Why, Sam wasn't entirely sure but none of the stuff Rick was saying hurt much anymore. It was a small wound, one he was sure would never heal but it didn't affect him anymore.

"Then you leave and within a month your next girlfriend manages to move on without-"

Sam didn't realise he had knocked the slushie out of Rick's hand until he did it.

The next thing he felt were the other slushies. The previous week it had only been two, this time it was four or five and the increased amount was felt. He just stood in the deserted hallway for a long time, wondering when he'd want to move again when he felt a hand slowly guiding him. To where he didn't know but he knew he could trust whoever it was.

When he opened his eyes he could see Mercedes, running a tap in the girls bathroom.

The scene gave him flashbacks, oddly enough of the first time he met Quinn but it was different this time. Something _right_ clicked this time.

"You're not going to give up, are you?" was all she had to ask.

He wondered if she expected him to answer.

"I'm not worth this. Why can't you just make your life so much easier. Find someone who...who...doesn't make you do stupid things like join synchronised swimming and get slushied!"

"I've told Puck and I'll tell you," he said, and it came out as more a frustrated growl. It wasn't intentional. It was probably because his eyes were burning and she was standing right next to him and he could hear her concern but he wasn't going to give up. And his head was just spinning, "I don't care if I leave this bathroom and Rick is standing there with his cronies and hundreds of slushies. It doesn't matter. All that matters is showing you how far I would go."

"And when would you stop?"

This time she was definitely expecting an answer.

He lifted his head, and dried his face, which was dripping wet with water, hastily, before looking straight into her eyes and telling her, "I've told you this too. When you can tell me you're over me, really over me. Like you can look at me without that hint of a smile, or you can tell me to move on without that slight waver in your voice or...or when you don't have that sadness in your eyes whenever I see you in the hallways with Shane."

"I'm not unhappy with Shane."

"But are you happy?"

She put the towel down and rubbed her temples. "You're not making this easy for me, Evans."

"All part of the fighting for you, I'm afraid."

She nudged his shoulder lightly. "I honestly thought you were joking about that."

He gave a smile. "Never." Suddenly it hit him. "Like a goddess," he mumbled.

"What did you just say?"

"Before the number. I couldn't find the right words. But like a goddess." He nodded his head, as if sure of himself. "You looked like a goddess."

She didn't answer, only looked down. Was she blushing? He couldn't tell easily but he would have bet anything that she was.

"Not that you don't always look beautiful."

"I'll see you later, Sam."

She turned and walked away from him but it was just like that day in the hallway.

She was smiling, he noted, while he also grinned.

It still wasn't over.

* * *

><p><strong>I promise, promise, promise, next chapter will be more from Mercedes' POV and Shane will pop up. Can't say now how brief or long it'll be for but he'll be there (again, the things I do for you guys). I've realised I've basically wrote my Samcedes wishes for YesNo and it's scary because I know half of this won't happen. Also next chapter, I'll get some Quinncedes, maybe Kurtcedes and Quam friendship in there. Because I love those friendships.**

**I made up how Sam came to be in swimming by using the promo and his brief bit with Finn in that as well as something I saw that Chord was filming with Dot. I don't know where I saw that and if it was legit but I think it'd be pretty awesome if Beiste was helping him with his fight for 'Cedes' heart because she's going through that whole thing with Sue and Cooter. But anyhoo.**

**Please tell me what you think of this chapter. I think there's only one or two (at a push maybe three) left so please, please, please review! All the reviews I've had so far have been so encouraging and fill me with so much joy you have no idea! And thank you for the favourites/alerts as well!**

**WickedSong x**

**P.S. It's almost midnight here in the UK so I wish you all a Happy New Year wherever you are! 2012 brings us Summer Nights and Samcedes, let's rejoice and have a party! No but seriously wherever you are I hope 2012 brings you nothing but the best! :D**


	5. Because Of You

**If It's For Her,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

**Disclaimer/Note : In first chapter. This is where, once again, I'm going from canon in most aspects. The song I'm using is NOT going to be in the episode Yes/No but I think it is perfect for the situation. And plus, gives me a chance for a cute duet between a couple I've grown to be fond of. Again, you'll see ;) Just know that I do not own the song 'Falling Slowly' by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova from the movie, 'Once.' Spoilers are ahead though because there is a scene in 3x10 that involves Sam, Mercedes, an 'intense' conversation and the bulldozer himself.**

* * *

><p>To be honest Mercedes had never thought she would have to deal with her feelings for Sam Evans. She had thought that him not being around her would make it easy enough to shake off any emotions regarding him leaving her free to be in a relationship with Shane without any ghosts of the past hanging over her.<p>

Or more so she had hoped.

Because she should've known it wasn't that easy to forget what they had shared.

A summer fling she had called it.

More than that he had quickly countered.

And she had known he was telling the truth.

They had quickly collided at junior prom, left on their own when Jesse St. Sucks had came into town. Rachel obviously took the opportunity to go with him, both so she had a date to call her own and to make Finn jealous. She had called it a four-way date (again not the dirty kind) but it was clear by the way she stayed close to Jesse before he and Finn had been thrown out of the prom, that it was a double date in her mind.

But Mercedes found that she didn't mind this, not at all.

From the moment Sam asked her to dance things quickly changed between them. They continued to stay in that awkward stage of maybe more than friends-maybe not for two weeks before he had asked her out in New York. She hadn't been expecting it. Sure she liked him but she didn't know where he stood, if he wanted a girlfriend.

Summer had been the kind of summer you could only imagine, as if it was directly out of a movie. They had spent a month getting to know each other. They made the kind of intense emotional connection that you could never expect or account for. She let down every wall she had ever created, slowly but surely, until he could see her for what she really was. And he did the same for her. He shed the image of 'Sam Evans, jock' to her and became 'Sam Evans, loving big brother, son, friend, boyfriend.' He was more than she had initially given him credit for when he walked into glee club in early October.

They had shared many cuddles, kisses but some of the time it was passionate and intense, ending in their heavy breathing and wonder for what more there was.

But their summer romance ended abruptly, cruely ripped away by a job offer in Kentucky.

She had been crushed, and then she had met Shane and it was like there was someone to fill Sam's place, to fill that void in her heart, to make her feel that intense, wonderful way again.

Shane didn't fill that space though, she quickly learnt that lesson when one of their make out sessions ended in her pulling away and going to the bathroom to get away from him, not wanting to cry in front of him, not allowing him to see any of her weakness or letting him ask her what was wrong, while pulling her into a tight hug, telling her it would all be okay.

Because she wanted it to be Sam, telling her it was fine, not Shane.

It was a terrible realisation.

The school year before Sam came back was good to her, in all aspects except the romantic department. Shane was good to her and he encouraged her to reach for her dreams but that spark she had felt during June was missing.

She could still clearly remember the day she had found out Sam was back. Brittany had walked into rehearsal talking about it. Mercedes had at first brushed it off as Brittany just having the wrong information but then a few other members of the group murmured that they had also seen him. He was in Kentucky and there was no way he would be back in Ohio. A quick text from Santana to Finn confirmed this news.

She managed to somehow make it through rehearsal that day without going to the choir room herself, even resisting the temptation to go along with Santana when she went to greet the former member of New Directions.

She had thought she had successfully avoided Sam that first day but it was near the end of the second day he was back that he had managed to catch her, making his now infamous vow to fight to get her back.

Her smile had been hard to explain to the Troubletones when they had questioned her.

Now, the crazy boy was in the synchronised swimming team, getting slushied left, right and centre, all the while telling her he would take a hundred slushies if it meant that she'd see how serious he was in his fight for her heart. Making her realise she let him in to such an extent that he could see past her lies like 'I've moved on,' or, 'we were a summer fling.'

On top of that the entire glee club was intent on helping him, even her former Troubletone sisters, Sugar, Brittany and Santana, especially Santana.

As if that wasn't enough to think about she still had Shane. She didn't think she'd have him for long though. He was sweet and encouraged her, saying she was a star. But it just wasn't there. She couldn't be with him if she couldn't give him her heart.

Trying to had been easier when it had been four hours away in Kentucky but now it was back in Ohio, along with Sam and she couldn't hide it anymore. It would be hard and she felt terrible for having to do it. Like she had used him. But that had never been her intention.

She couldn't hurt anyone any longer. Not Shane, not Sam and most certainly, not herself.

* * *

><p>Rory and Sugar surprised mostly everyone at glee club rehearsal the day following the proposal by announcing they would like to perform a duet they had been working on. Sugar grinned confidently while Rory stood plainly in front of the group.<p>

No one wanted to confront the elephant in the room but someone knew they'd have to. Mr. Schue, as teacher, took this job. "I'm sure what you've planned is wonderful but Sugar are you sure you can-"

"Miss. Corcoran was giving me vocal lessons before she left," Sugar announced quickly, interrupting Mr. Schue. "I'm still not sure why I needed them but they only enhanced my talent." She shrugged. "So it's all good."

No one else wanted to try.

Rory gave a thumbs up to everyone. "Trust me, this will work."

Sugar smiled brightly as Rory turned to Brad, silently asking him to begin playing.

The piano filtered around the room, a soft slow melody, quickly joined by a band member playing his guitar gently. Rory opened his mouth to sing.

_"I don't know you but I want you all the more for that."_

Everyone realised what he had done when Sugar went to join him. She was only singing a light harmony to accompany him throughout the song.

_"Words fall through me and always fool me and I can't react."_

Surprisingly the two sounded good together and this was probably because they had been smart. Sugar had improved leaps and bounds from that first audition for the New Directions but her voice still wasn't quite there. This arrangement worked however, Rory taking on the more challenging part of the song and Sugar keeping in one place. They seemed to balance each other.

_"Games that never amount to more than they're meant will play themselves out."_

_"Take this sinking boat and point it home, we've still got time, raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice, you make it now."_

Was this part of the plan? Mercedes looked carefully around and could see that everyone was watching, intently listening while snuggled up with their significant other, if they had one in the room.

_"Falling slowly, eyes that know me and I can't react."_

_"Moods that take me and erase me, and I paint them black."_

_"You have suffered enough and warred with yourself, it's time that you won."_

The pair harmonised well together, Mercedes noted as she threw caution to the wind and turned around to find Sam looking at her, wistfulness in his eyes as he swayed slightly to the music. When he noticed her looking he didn't break their eye contact, only gave her a kind smile, his eyes lighting up. She nodded and smiled back, as she processed the lyrics in her mind.

_"Take this sinking boat and point it home, we've still got time, raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice, you make it now."_

_"Falling slowly, sing your melody, I'll sing along."_

Rory sang the last section by himself.

_"I played the cards too late, now you're gone."_

This song wasn't about their relationship now, Mercedes realised. It was about the time after prom, as they grew closer and closer without even realising what was happening, without even realising what would.

She would go back in time and not feel the things she did if she could.

_Don't lie_, she told herself, _you wouldn't._

And she knew without a doubt that Sam wouldn't either.

Everyone clapped when they finished. Sugar jumped up and down excitably again, as she had at the pool and Rory looked content to let her, sitting down in his own seat. The younger girl pulled him up, however and made him bow, much to everyone's laughter.

Mercedes clapped for them but her mind was on other things. That song was so relevant and the way Sam was looking at her. Was she just being paranoid? She knew she would have to find out if this had been a part of whatever the plan was that the glee club had devised. She knew exactly who she would ask.

* * *

><p>Mercedes was sure Santana had played a part in the song Rory and Sugar selected to perform in glee. This was why she was in Miss. Corcoran's old classroom, used when the Troubletones were still their own group, asking her friend.<p>

"Originally no, but Irish had to help Princess here with her song for glee and I saw an opportunity," Santana admitted. "And I can see it worked, if it made you think of Sam."

"Santana, I appreciate that you want me to be happy but you don't have to meddle so much," Mercedes said, crossing her arms and giving a look to the Latina.

Santana shook her head. "I don't believe in a lot of things but love is one of them so you'd best get used to this."

It was Mercedes' turn to shake her own head at these words. "I'm not saying you don't but-"

"Like I told Trouty Mouth when I said I was helping him, if you don't go after what you love then you'll lose it. I almost lost Britt last year because I couldn't admit who I was. While I'm still sometimes pissed at Frankenteen for pushing me out of the closet, I can face it as long as I have her beside me." She shook her head, her back turned to Mercedes. "I don't know what exactly happened between you and Sam over the summer but whatever it is," she turned around at this, and Mercedes couldn't reign in her surprise at Santana calling Sam anything other than Trouty or Trouty Mouth, "it's the same thing that Britt and I have."

"Why not let my relationship with Shane run its course then? If you're so sure in love?"

Santana laughed. "Trust me girl, if this was any other glee member, I'd probably sit back, get popcorn and watch this thing destroy itself." There it was again. That tone that said she didn't care that she was saying this because she knew it was the truth. "But it's you. You're my Troubletone sister now. We gots to have each other's backs. Pyramid nipples may have pushed me out of the closet well and truly but you never let me crawl back in."

"That wouldn't have been fair to you. Dealing with your feelings was the only way that you would have been able to get on with your life."

Santana nodded her head. "And you just answered all your own questions there, you see? Catch you later, wheezy."

Santana left Mercedes in the empty classroom but it wasn't long before Quinn poked her head around the door. Seeing Mercedes sitting, eyes closed, on the piano bench, the blonde walked in and sat beside her.

"Thinking about something?"

"Just looking at my options, Q."

"So, thinking about Sam and Shane."

Mercedes only nodded. She opened her eyes slowly. "What do you think I should do?"

Quinn gave a small smile in her direction, putting her arm around her friend's waist and pulling her in for a comforting hug, much like the hugs that Mercedes would give her when she was pregnant and in dire need of reassurance. "I'm going to give you advice. Last year, I met a sweet guy, who made me feel like I could forget everything. I felt like I could forget about Beth, about Puck, about being pregnant."

"Sam."

Quinn nodded. "He was a rebound. Not from a relationship per say but from a period in my life. I had no business being with him when I had so much still to face. It got too far and I ended up destroying the relationship myself. I hurt him really bad."

"So you're saying that if I let this thing with Shane go on-"

"You'll end up hurting him more than if you let him go now," Quinn finished, nodding. Mercedes sighed. "But you knew that. You're just too good to know when to say goodbye."

Mercedes pulled away from Quinn and nodded to her. "Thanks, Q."

"Hey, all I did was give advice," the blonde girl said, hands up. "In the end, it's your choice."

* * *

><p>Leaving the room, Quinn and Mercedes went their separate ways. As soon as she turned the corner Mercedes saw Sam, putting his books in his locker, wearing what looked like his brand new letterman jacket. It was now or never to ask him the question that had been burning in her mind.<p>

"You know that I liked you for you, don't you?" she asked him. "It wasn't because you were a jock, or you played football or even because of your abs. It was because of your heart, your spirit, your soul, it was because of _you_." She took his hand and placed it over his heart.

Sam looked surprised by this admission but nodded his head. "I know." He looked down at their joined hands and she quickly let go. The sadness that crossed his eyes when she did this was unmistakable but she tried to ignore this.

"Then why the letterman jacket? Do you really think I'm that shallow?"

He looked as if he had been waiting for this to come up. "No, definitely no. I mean, if you were, why would you have dated a poor guy like me-"

"_Sam_."

He continued on, as if ignoring her scolding, "-but no, it's not about this," he gestured to the jacket, "anymore. When I came back I went to Coach Beiste to see if I could be on the football team again. She said no but said she'd try to get me on another team. I always knew you didn't care about the jacket but I think some part of me just had to prove I could get it, to be good enough-"

"_Sam Evans_, you listen to me-"

But he cut her off again, "-By the time I was on the time I realised that I didn't need to prove I was good enough, I just had to prove that you were the only one I wanted. And going out on a limb, doing something I wouldn't have thought of otherwise was my way of doing that."

By this time Mercedes had her hand on his arm, forcing him to listen to her. "You are good enough, more than good enough. Sure, I've only ever dated jocks but that's not because that was in my master plan. It was just how it happened. I never dated you or Shane because of popularity or anything like that. I especially didn't date you because of that."

Her words were so sincere and gave him hope. He was about to speak but a booming voice stopped him.

"Hey baby, what's goin' on here?"

Shane looked from Sam to Mercedes, to her hand on his arm and immediately put his own around her, forcing her to retract her hand from where it was.

Again, Sam looked incredibly downhearted at the contact being cut off between the two of them.

Mercedes gave a sad, apologetic smile to him as she and Shane walked down the hallway, still an arm around her.

But his arm around her didn't stop her looking back to see a downcast Sam slam his locker door shut and walk away.

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><p>She had never been so sure about anything before. It was the one decision that he hadn't second guessed this entire year. And she felt terrible for it.<p>

But some things just had to be done and this was one of them. If she did it now she avoided breaking his heart any further. She had no feelings beyond friendship in this relationship so hers wasn't being touched by this. It was horrible but the truth.

"We need to talk." Turning to Shane, Mercedes took a deep breath. "You know I like you, I think you're great and I'm so grateful to how supportive you've been to me but this isn't working."

"What isn't working?" he asked, confused.

She couldn't deny that this was probably sudden to him.

"Us. This. Our relationship."

His face fell but recognition lit it up. "Sam."

"No, not just that," she replied because it would be futile to deny that he had no part in it. "I went into this relationship with feelings for him still there. Feelings that are still there to this day. That's just not fair to you. If I let this go on I'll hurt you more than this."

Shane nodded, as if he understood. He put his hands up. "I saw this coming. Don't feel bad about it. I was the rebound." He gave a small, self-deprecating laugh.

"No, Shane, don't say-"

"But it's the truth." He seemed to have developed Santana's 'are you being serious' look.

She was silent for a moment before replying. "We're just not right for each other. That's all."

Shane gave her a small kiss on the cheek, before thoughtfully studying her. "Thank you, Mercedes. It's been a good four months, huh?"

She nodded. "Thank you, Shane. I hope we can still talk."

Shane smiled at this. "I hope so too. I'm sorry by the way, for pulling you away from him this afternoon. I had no right to do that."

"It's forgotten," she assured him, not holding that against him now.

He walked out of her house but instead of a sadness she felt a weight had been lifted. Sighing she sat down on her couch and thought about the blonde who had never left her mind or heart.

It wasn't over.

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><p><strong>So, this chapter turned out long, didn't it? It was important though. I realised I didn't give you guys a break up scene in The Wedding Singer if you read it so here you go. I wanted Shane to be a good guy in the end. But I'm going to be honest. If 3x10 means he and Mercedes are broken up I don't really mind how it happens. This is just my ideal.<strong>

**And forgive the Flanamotta if you don't like, I just kinda ship them now. Thinking I may do a story about them next if I get the inspiration. I was inspired to do that section when the song Falling Slowly came on my iPod and I remember I heard a cover Damian McGinty (who plays Rory) did, when I was on tumblr so go to youtube and give it a listen. Just imagine Sugar lightly singing over it. Or listen to the original Falling Slowly. I love every single cover of it.**

**So next chapter COULD be the last but I'll know more about that nearer the time. It's more likely chapter seven will be the conclusion.**

**So once again, thanks for all the lovely reviews/messages on tumblr (my tumblr is the same as my penname, WickedSong, if you're interested, btw...shameless self promotion, haha)/favourites/alerts/everything. Just thank you and hope you all had a lovely start to 2012!**

**WickedSong x**


	6. The Blessed Road

**If It's For Her,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

**Disclaimer/Note : In first chapter. 3x10 spoilers are still floating around here, in the form of Rachel's song, Without You (David Guetta ft. Usher) which she's singing in the Yes/No episode, a song I do not own, obviously. Other than that (and it's a small section in the story with Rachel's song), this still is deviating from canon. I don't own 'Bless The Broken Road' by Rascal Flatts (which, like Falling Slowly, is NOT being used in 3x10) and I also don't own 'The Notebook' by Nicholas Sparks which is quoted in this chapter. In addition one of my reviewers, Princess976, is quoted in this chapter from her previous review because the description she used of Santana was too good not to use(hope you don't mind me using the line, haha).**

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><p>At McKinley High it appeared that it didn't matter whether you were a star of the football team or involved in synchronised swimming. If you had a letterman you were deemed important and turned a few heads. It wasn't as if Sam was a stranger to this attention from the girls around school. When he had been on the football team he had been targeted by them but he had been with Quinn and then Santana at this time. He would sometimes talk to the girls who stood by his locker but in the end he would always let them down firmly but gently, stating in no uncertain way that he was taken.<p>

And this time was no different. Mercedes hadn't been the only one to notice the jacket but she was the only one to not be impressed by it. Other girls had been looping their arms through his all day. He remembered one particular Cheerio who didn't seem to understand the word no. She had been trying to convince him to go out with her the entirety of the previous day and she hadn't stopped in her campaign the day following his locker chat with Mercedes, the locker chat which had ended in she and Shane walking away.

It had been then that he realised how in over his head he really was. Shane had been with Mercedes for four months, a full three longer than Sam had. She may have not been over him, that much was clear, but how invested in her relationship with Shane was she? When Santana had been organising her plan she had assured him that Shane was a rebound but did rebounds really last four months?

"So, I was thinking, you, me, Breadstix, eight o'clock?"

Sam rolled his eyes. His patience was wearing extremely thin with this girl. How many times did he have to say no for the message to sink in?

"Look, I'm not interested," he repeated for what he felt was the millionth time as he turned a corner, and she kept in step with him. "I have feelings for someone else and I intend on following them."

"Yeah, so you'd best keep walking, Alice," Santana declared before the girl could argue as she walked up to them. Sam turned, relieved to see the sharp-tongued girl, folding her arms at her fellow Cheerio.

Alice sighed, but didn't argue with Santana, and walked away.

"Thanks, Santana," Sam said to her as they walked down the hall towards the cafeteria.

Santana shrugged. "That girl wasn't taking no for an answer. Someone had to step in. One obstacle in Operation Chocolates White and Thunder is out of the way, Auntie 'Tana doesn't need another."

"One obstacle?" Sam asked, daring to believe that she was about to tell him what he suspected and hoped.

"Congrats, luscious lips, she broke up with the moustache," Santana revealed, giving him a thumbs up and a bright smile.

Sam couldn't help the smile that his face broke out into but his joy was short lived. Again, he knew nothing about the relationship. Would Mercedes need time to get over Shane, would she still want to be with Sam, was this all a part of cutting them both out and being by herself? To stop himself from focusing on the negatives that floated around his brain he asked another question, something he had been wondering about for a while now.

"Wow, you didn't like that guy, did you?"

Santana shrugged her shoulders and looked confused that this was what Sam was wondering but answered his question anyway. "He was one of the main reasons the Troubletones were formed, I'll give him that. But no one really saw him around and he was super competitive. It even scared _me_ to a degree," she stated matter-of-factly.

Sam nodded. "Well, just because they're over doesn't mean that she's going to get back with me."

They were in the cafeteria now. "Are you kidding me? You do all this and this is when you start having doubts?" She stopped him as he picked up a tray.

"It's not called giving up or having doubts. It's called giving her time. Look, I have a plan for glee today."

"We didn't make a plan-"

"I made this one up. Chose a song and everything."

Santana looked stumped and then looked down. "Looking forward to hearing it then."

She walked away and Sam sighed, as he began to get his lunch, hoping his plan would go well, all the while noting that Santana was nothing less than cupid, a fiery and mean cupid but cupid nonetheless.

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><p>Stuffing his jacket into his locker just before glee, Sam noticed Quinn approaching him from the corner of his eye. She took one look at the discarded letterman and leaned against the locker beside him, looking at him knowingly.<p>

"Didn't work?"

"What? Synchronised swimming?"

"The jacket?"

Sam closed his locker and began walking with the short haired blonde to class. "No, it didn't. I didn't think it would and I was proved right."

"Then why'd you do it?" she asked. "To show you could be the jock again? The golden boy? I've been down that path of trying to regain what you had." She looked down and added. "It is not pretty."

He shook his head. "It was more than that." He stopped in the middle of the hallway, not wanting to continue this conversation in the choir room where everyone could hear. "It was about that at first I think but along the way it became showing her what I would do."

"Which is anything, right?" He only nodded which made Quinn nod her head and continue speaking, "I'm assuming you heard about her breaking up with Shane." He nodded again and Quinn took this as another cue to continue. "You may be feeling defeated right now. For what reason I don't know because I know for a fact that she still loves you."

"Seriously?"

That had been his fear. His biggest fear. Perhaps it had been an irrational fear but it was something he was afraid of regardless.

Quinn nodded smiling. "We both know this isn't going to stop you. She means more to you than I did and you formed a Justin Bieber tribute band for me." She laughed, which made Sam smile. "You're a good guy though. You're waiting until you're sure she's over Shane. There's not a lot of guys who would do that."

Sam didn't look as if he really believed her pep talk but he smiled anyway. "Come on, we're going to be late."

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><p>Before Sam could carry out the last stage in his plan (what this was was unknown to everyone in the room apart from himself of course) Rachel had commanded the floor, dedicating a ballad to Finn, something to do with the problems they had been facing. No one exactly knew what was going on with the couple but as Rachel sat on a seat, took Finn's hand and belted out the last couple of lines of her song, something in Sam clicked.<p>

_"I can't take one more sleepless night without you, without you."_

_"I won't sob, I won't cry."_

_"If you're not here, I'm living life without you, without you."_

He looked along the line to see Mercedes with her head bowed, in deep thought. And he couldn't help but be in deep thought himself. What would his song achieve? Would she finally see what he had been saying. He hoped so because it was the one song that was coming from his heart. He had sang to Quinn last year but that hadn't been with a song that so accurately described everything he felt, that was so stripped down and bared his soul.

_"I can't look, I'm so blind."_

_"Lost my heart, I lost my mind without you."_

_"Without you."_

Everyone clapped for Rachel as she wiped a tear from her eye, and Finn gave her a hug, both arms tightly around her as he kissed the top of her head and whispered something to her. They sat down and Mr. Schue got up.

"Well guys, I just thought, since it's the end of the week, and I'm now an engaged man, I should say thank you on behalf of myself and Ms. Pillsbury."

Everyone clapped yet again at this and there was even a few whoops and cheers around.

"Alright, alright, settle down." The teacher grinned. "Now I know that we have Regionals coming up but the wedding will be planned quickly. We don't want to wait-"

"Wanky," muttered Santana, to the snickers of those around her.

Mr. Schue chose to ignore this. "-and we'd really like the club to perform, you know, like you did at Burt and Carole's wedding last year."

Kurt was the first to clap his hands together joyfully. "We'd love to, Mr. Schue. We should start brainstorming ideas now. I have so many-"

Sam stood up. "Mr. Schue, if I may?" he asked. When the teacher nodded and sat down, everyone snapped their heads to Sam, who stood in the middle of the room and took out a piece of crumpled paper from his jeans pocket. "You all know that since I came back I've been trying to get a special someone back. Someone who meant a lot to me over the summer and still has - if not my whole heart - then a very special place in it." He gave a small chuckle, as he looked around awkwardly. He really didn't know if this would work in making her see but it was worth a shot, wasn't it?

"What is he doing?" Sugar questioned out loud.

A warning look was given to her by the rest of the group and she put her arms up in surrender.

"I know, what _am_ I doing? I'm not good with words." He held up the sheet of paper. "But this is a quote that really stood out to me from a movie I saw this summer."

Now it was Santana's turn to look concerned. "What _is_ he doing?" She was quieter but no one paid attention to the interruption this time.

"Summer romances begin for all kinds of reasons, but when all is said and done, they have one thing in common-" he began, reciting the words he had written down.

"Wait a sec, I recognise-"

"It's from The Notebook."

"Is Puckerman crying?"

Ignoring the glee members and the commentary from Quinn, Kurt and Santana he continued, "-They're shooting stars, a spectacular moment of light in the heavens, a fleeting glimpse of eternity, and in a flash they're gone." Sam looked at Mercedes as he finished. "I don't want us to be finished, gone. I don't want us to be a 'fleeting' glimpse of eternity."

It was silent until Santana cleared her throat, and even her voice wavered ever so slightly. "He's totally crying."

"Look, I'm not crying. It's just dusty in here, alright." Puck looked down, doing something that looked suspiciously like wiping his eyes with his thumb.

Mercedes, the one person he needed a reaction from didn't do anything so he went on to the next part of his plan. Grabbing his guitar and a stool he strummed the instrument gently. "This song is for you," he told her, only those simple words being needed.

He nodded to Brad who joined in with his piano.

Sam began to sing as he played his guitar.

_"I set out on a narrow way, many years ago, hoping I would find true love, along the broken road. But I got lost a time or two, wiped my brow and kept pushing through, I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you."_

_"That every long lost dream led me to where you are, others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars, pointing me on my way into your loving arms, this much I know is true, that God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you."_

This song was so true to what he felt and had been thinking about. At first he had thought he had been lucky to end up with her. And then when he thought about it further he realised it probably wouldn't have happened if his Sophomore year had been his vision of perfect. If Quinn hadn't cheated on him, if he hadn't started dating Santana who then went on to Karofsky, if he hadn't turned Rachel down for prom and then went with both her and Mercedes...

Yeah, his family losing everything was one of the worst experiences of his life but without it how close would they have become? Would they have spent late nights watching his siblings in that motel room, falling asleep beside each other until Stacy's giggling alerted them to the fact that she and Stevie were watching them intently. Would they have had dates which consisted of nothing but talking, getting to know each other so much better if he had enough movie to go to the movies? He would always, always wish that his brother, his sister, his mom and dad didn't have to go through that again but he would always remember that she had been his light through it.

He would never know what would have happened but he would also never regret how anything turned out. Except their goodbye. That would always hurt.

_"I think about the years I spent just passing through, I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you but you just smile and take my hand, you've been there, you understand, it's all part of a grander plan that's coming true."_

_"That every long lost dream led me to where you are, others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars, pointing me on my way into your loving arms, this much I know is true, that God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you."_

By this point he could feel tears in his eyes but he continued. In front of him he could see that yet again all the couples in the glee club were snuggled up to each other closely, something he chose to ignore as he strummed his guitar. He wished with all his might that he and Mercedes had had more time. A month. That wasn't very fair and it was such a short space of time to explain how he felt about her that he found it hard to describe.

He just kept looking at her however and when he did it all rushed back and so every lyric he sang had that special meaning. She knew it was about her. He had always told her that all the crap he had been through had been worth it, that he would do it again, just so that they could have what they had again.

_"Now I'm just rolling home, into my lover's arms, this much I know is true, that God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you."_

_"That God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you."_

By the time he finished he was shaking, from just giving every feeling he could away in that song. It was draining to say the least. He noticed that Mercedes wouldn't stop staring at him and he couldn't stop looking at her either.

Mr. Schue walked up beside Sam, putting a hand on his shoulder as he took the guitar off, not once breaking his eye contact with Mercedes. It wasn't until he broke his eyes away from her that he realised the entire glee club was standing up clapping for him. An hysterical Santana was hugging Brittany who soothed her, Puck was mouthing 'that was so beautiful' over and over again while Sugar put her head on Rory's shoulder and had an arm looped through his.

Quinn gave him a thumbs up while Rachel nodded in approval, as did Finn. Artie, Tina, Mike, Kurt and Blaine all clapped with happy smiles on their faces.

Mr. Schue said something about it being an emotional performance and wondered aloud if Sam would consider doing it for the wedding. The younger boy only gave a weak smile and nod in reply.

"That was really beautiful, Sam," Mercedes finally said to him.

"Well, I meant it, you know that."

The entire glee club looked at them, wondering what they were going to do next but when Sam sat down and nothing came of their long intense looks there were sighs of disappointment all around. A still tearful Santana cursed in Spanish but it must've not been inappropriate because Mr. Schue didn't reprimand her for it. Like Sam had thought earlier, just like cupid.

The period ended and Sam left quickly. This was all about giving Mercedes distance and time to really think about what she wanted. He just had to hope that in the end it would be him.

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><p><strong>And this chapter was going to be short! Can you believe that. I'm laughing at myself for thinking I could keep to that. It seemed short in theory with only three sections but section three wanted to be really long, didn't it? So, important facts about this chapter? It's the second last one. I know it's not been long but if you think about it it was originally a oneshot so it's much longer than it was going to be. But I've been off school due to the holidays so it's nice to have something to do.<strong>

**I had to put in that quote from The Notebook. Their summer, in my mind, was some sort of wonderful mixture of The Notebook and Grease. The Grease aspect has been in this story so it was time for The Notebook. That quote always reminds me of these guys, especially when Chord wasn't on the show anymore and more so now with all the speculation over what the hell happened that summer, you know.**

**As always thanks for the reviews/favourites/alerts. You have no idea how much they mean to me. Please leave a review if you liked this. Next chapter should be up before the end of the week!**

**WickedSong x**


	7. A Thousand Years

**If It's For Her,**

**Written by WickedSong.**

**Disclaimer/Note : In the first chapter. I do not own the songs in this chapter. 'A Thousand Years' is by Christina Perri from the soundtrack of Breaking Dawn : Part One and 'I Won't Let Go' is by the Rascal Flatts from their album 'Nothing Like This'. This is the final chapter and I hope you enjoy it. More in my note at the end.**

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><p>Sam held the receiver patiently to his ear, the ringing only lasting a couple of moments before the phone on the other line was picked up.<p>

"Let me talk to him!"

"You talked to him two nights ago, Stace, it's my turn!"

"Nu-huh."

"Uh-huh"

"Guys, guys, just put the thing on speaker," Sam called out over the argument at his siblings, trying to contain his smile and laughter, as tears suddenly sprung to his eyes. This always happened when he phoned his family.

The argument continued and they obviously hadn't heard him. He whistled, a sharp piercing sound that didn't seem as loud in his head when he had the idea. He laughed as they went silent. It had been a familiar noise to them due to all the nights he spent watching them when his parents had been unemployed.

"But Sammy, I wanna talk to you," Stacy said, and Sam could imagine the pout she was wearing at that moment. That pout was the reason he and his father were wrapped around his younger sister's finger.

So it was a lucky thing Sam couldn't actually see her facial expression, as he put on his best stern voice. "Don't be selfish, Stace. Put the phone on speaker so I can talk to the both of you."

There was a noise of annoyance but he heard the phone being put on the table and footsteps. When the footsteps stopped the phone was put on speaker.

"Hey there son."

"Hey Dad," Sam said, the familiar voice forcing him to wipe his eyes clear of tears yet again. "Is Mom there too?"

"She's at work," his father replied, in an apologetic tone. "I'll talk to you in a minute. These two want to before they go to bed."

He heard his dad walk away and then his siblings clambering over the speakerphone.

"Do you miss us, Sammy?"

"When will you be back home? Will Rory come by as well next time?"

He wasn't fazed by the questions or the barrage of them. He had come to expect this. He had spent a lot of time with his brother and sister when the family had lost their home, their parents constantly pounding the pavement for work. They had grown closer as a result, closer that they would have had that strife not hit them.

"Of course I do. I miss you two, Mom and Dad." He tried not to sound too sad because that would only depress them so he kept his voice more upbeat as he continued, "And I've told you guys. The next weekend I have off work I'll try to come down. I don't know if Rory will want to come though," he replied, teasing them.

"Your stupid crush scared him off. Thanks a lot, Stace. He was cool."

"What about you Stevie? You would constantly interrupt his conversations with Sammy."

"Woah, guys, cool it," Sam warned. "I was joking. If he can, I'm sure Rory would love to come down with me next time to see you two." He could practically hear the glee in Stacy's hands clapping together and he was sure he hadn't imagined Stevie's roar of triumph.

In the week Rory had spent with the Evans' he had become very close to the family.

"Right you two," Sam heard his father over the phone, "it's time for bed. Say goodnight to Sam. I'm sure he'll phone tomorrow."

"I can't tomorrow but definitely the night after that."

"Promise, Sammy?"

Again he could hear Stacy's pout in her voice.

"I promise."

"Goodnight, Sammy. Love you!"

"'Night big bro. Love you too!"

"Love you more!"

"No, I love you more!"

As always it had turned into an argument between the two, always trying to out-do the other.

"Well, I love you both equally so there! Now get to sleep," Sam told them, again in his stern voice. That was something else he had to perfect. In a short space of time he had had a dual role of both brother and parental figure.

"Go get dressed, get your teeth brushed and into your beds. I'll be checking in on you in ten," Mr. Evans said. Sam waited a moment and then his father spoke again. "You're off speaker. Now tell me how it's all going. Doing well in school? Is glee club going well? What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Yes, yes and I'm going to a wedding tomorrow," Sam replied quickly. "It's Mr. Schue's, you know my glee teacher. He asked the club to perform."

"Well, have fun," his dad said. "So how's your plan going?"

Yes, his father had been involved in his plan in fighting for Mercedes. At first it hadn't been intentional but he had overheard a conversation Sam had been having with Rory, in which he had admitted he was having problems with what exactly he could do to show how serious he was, and had offered his advice to his son the morning before the two boys left for Lima after the holidays.

"She broke up with Shane but it's been a month. I don't know how she feels about me, about the prospect of us again," Sam replied, shrugging his shoulders even though he was on the phone. "I don't know what to do."

"How long have you been waiting for this girl? And be honest, son."

He thought about that question. He had been back in Lima for around two months. But he had been away from Lima, from her for five months before that. And then it had taken him almost a month to get his ass in gear and actually make a move. So that meant...

"Eight months, dad, eight months."

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, Sam because I think you already know. If you don't know how she feels you're going to wait until you know, even if that wait is another eight months."

His father's words had the ring of truth to them. Because what he and Mercedes had was more than a summer fling. It was short, a month, shorter than the time he had had with Quinn and hell, shorter than he had been with Santana, but it meant more than both of them. Wasn't that something worth fighting for?

"Thanks, Dad," said Sam. "I'd better go now as well. I said to Finn I'd help him go through choreography."

"Heaven only knows why he's asking you," his father told him, laughing heartily at his own joke. "I love you, son."

"Thanks a lot for that!" But Sam laughed too. "Goodnight. Tell Mom I said I. Love you."

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><p>"Let me introduce to you, in their first dance as husband and wife, Mr. and Mrs. William Schuester."<p>

Everyone cheered and clapped as Mr. Schue and the new Mrs. Schuester walked out onto the dance floor, hand in hand. Mercedes was on stage, as she had volunteered to sing for the first dance which everyone had agreed with. She ran through the song in her head, as the cheering died down and she stepped up closer to the microphone before her.

"This is my song for the happy couple," Mercedes said, before taking a deep breath and finding Sam sitting at the table with the glee members. He was staring at her thoughtfully and she returned the gaze."And maybe for all of you out there looking for somebody to love. If something is really meant to be it'll find its way back to you."

She nodded her head to Brad and the band who had also been asked to perform at the wedding and they began to play, the soft, sweet melody. She had racked her brains for hours trying to find the perfect song, both for the couple and for Sam, because she knew that this was the platform she needed for him to hear her.

_"Heart beats fast, colours and promises, how to be brave, how can I love when I'm afraid to fall, but watching you stand alone, all of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow, one step closer."_

_"I have died everyday waiting for you, darling don't be afraid I have loved you for a thousand years, I'll love you for a thousand more."_

Hadn't that always been her fear? Her heart had always been guarded, safe. She didn't understand the tears that Rachel shed over Finn or the multitude of relationships the glee club went through because she had never expected she would have to. She never thought there would a guy there, in high school, for her to feel that way.

But then Junior prom came around and that guy was there and so was that prospect of someone and something. Of someone she liked and who liked her in return. Of something that was a relationship. And did she want that? She had said so on occasion but when the possibility of falling in love was staring her right in the face she was petrified. Until he asked her out in New York, and somehow all those doubts slipped away as she felt his lips on hers.

She still remembered that first kiss, as if it had happened yesterday.

_"Time stands still, beauty in all she is, I will be brave, I will not let anything take away what's standing in front of me, every breath, every hour has come to this, one step closer."_

_"I have died everyday waiting for you, darling don't be afraid I have loved you for a thousand years, I'll love you for a thousand more."_

_"All along I believed I would find you, time has brought your heart to me, I have loved you for a thousand years, I'll love you for a thousand more."_

And then he had left and Shane was there and it was easy to be with him because he didn't have her heart. She had no feelings that went beyond platonic. She didn't savour his kisses like she had with Sam, she didn't feel a spark when her hand accidentally brushed against his or when he held hers in his own. She didn't feel a lot with him. She believed that was exactly what she needed to get over any silly daydream about actually finding someone to love, who loved her and would stay.

Sam Evans came back though. Her heart came back to her.

_"One step closer, one step closer."_

_"I have died everyday waiting for you, darling don't be afraid I have loved you for a thousand years, I'll love you for a thousand more."_

Looking out onto the dancefloor, she could see the newlyweds slowly going round in a circle, grinning at each other , looking intently into each others eyes. Most of the glee couples were on the floor, including a very intimate looking Rory and Sugar. Puck and Quinn slowly danced, looking slightly awkward but overall content, Kurt and Blaine held hands discreetly smiling, as they sat at the table. Rachel and Brittany had dragged Finn and Santana respectively onto the floor, and Tina and Mike looked at home in each other's arms.

Mercedes finally found who she was looking for and locked eyes with Sam, who sat beside Artie, as she sang the final part of the song. Sam smiled at her, hope in his eyes and she only had to nod for him to understand. He was wearing that stupidly adorable grin, crooked but handsome all the same like he knew exactly what she was saying.

_"All along I believed I would find you, time has brought your heart to me, I have loved you for a thousand years, I'll love you for a thousand more."_

* * *

><p>Mercedes walked off the stage to find Santana, Brittany, Sugar, Rachel, Tina, Brittany and Quinn all walking on. "Are we performing?" she asked, not aware of any extra performance.<p>

"We are, you're not," Santana said quickly. She took Mercedes' shoulders, gave her a small smile and turned her around so that she was facing Sam. "You're going to go get your man."

"Guys, wait-"

She turned around but they had already climbed on stage. Brittany stood cross armed so that Mercedes couldn't come back on with them. With a warning look, the cheerful blonde turned and walked towards the other girls. Looking on to the stage, Mercedes could also see all the guys minus Sam milling around the stage as they set up.

"Just continue talking, we should be ready in a minute," Rachel said into the one microphone on the stage. She turned to Santana, "Do you think I should perform my Barbra medley. I can do so a capella. I'm sure everyone would really enjoy-"

"If you don't shut up and start helping us, hobbit..."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh at this and turn back to their conversations in the silence.

Mercedes steeled herself and walked over to Sam, to find that he had done exactly the same and was also walking over to her. They both stopped, meeting each other halfway.

"So your song..."

"I think you can guess who it was about..."

He couldn't reply before the microphone made a strange noise and everyone turned to find Rachel standing at it, with her show smile on.

"Thank you for your patience. As you all know we are from the McKinley High glee club, the New Directions, which Mr. Schuester coaches. He is a great teacher and Ms. Pillsbury-I mean Mrs. Schuester has always been one of our biggest supporters ever since the club began. This song is for them as we all know how long it has taken them to get here." She put her hand up to stop Brad from playing for just a second as she turned to Sam and Mercedes at the side of the dancefloor where they had been standing awkwardly. Mercedes was practically begging her with her eyes not to bring them up but this was Rachel Barbra Berry. "This is for you two as well. We all know you're perfect for each other, as well as crazy about one another. Just go on, ask her to dance!"

Her show smile turned to one of encouragement as she gave Brad his cue to begin and she sat on one of the many stools set up on stage for the group.

Puck began to sing.

_"It's like a storm that cuts a path, it breaks your will, it feels like that."_

_"You think you're lost but you're not lost on your own, you're not alone."_

All the guys joined in, singing the song while the girls added in soft 'oohs' and 'aahs' to the background.

_"I will stand by you, I will help you through, when you've done all you can do, and you can't cope, I will dry your eyes, I will fight your fight, I will hold you tight and I won't let go."_

"That was so-"

"Mercedes, you look beautiful," Sam began, cutting her off, before she could finish her thought, which, by her expression he could tell would be about how embarrassing that was. "Would you like to dance?" He held out his hand.

She didn't even have to think about it. "I'd love to."

As they walked onto the floor where other couples danced, Santana could be heard clapping and saying, "You go, Trouty, you go!"

Santana began to sing, laughing slightly before she regained herself, taking Brittany's hand as she did so.

_"It hurts my heart, to see you cry, I know it's dark, this part of life, oh it finds us all, and we're too small, to stop the rain, oh but when it rains."_

All the girls joined her, as the guys had when Puck had been singing, with the guys now singing the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' in the background.

_"I will stand by you, I will help you through, when you've done all you can do, and you can't cope, I will dry your eyes, I will fight your fight, I will hold you tight and I won't let you fall."_

_"Don't be afraid to fall, I'm right here to catch you, I won't let you down, it won't get you down, you're gonna make it, yeah I know you can make it."_

_"I will stand by you, I will help you through, when you've done all you can do, and you can't cope, I will dry your eyes, I will fight your fight, I will hold you tight and I won't let go."_

Mercedes didn't even pay attention to who took the bridge of the song as Sam had began singing along, staring right at her as he did so. Despite not having any prior knowledge to this secret glee club performance he knew the words. She knew then that she had always been fighting a battle she would never win. She had been telling herself that she had moved on but that had all been disproved in the last three minutes, when his arms were around her waist, hers around his neck and they were looking at each other like the other was all they had ever wanted.

Sam continued to sing along with the chorus of the song, so much so that Mercedes didn't notice until he trailed off that the glee club had stopped singing, only watching them with intent eyes.

"And they all wondered why we kept us a secret?" she questioned, nodding her head towards them.

"Come on, put those humongous lips to some use, Trouty!" Santana hollered, obviously forgetting exactly where she was but not caring.

"You're blushing," teased Sam, as he leaned in closer.

Mercedes shook her head. "I am not!" she demanded, but leaning in closer all the same.

He laughed and said in a playful and accusotory tone, "You are."

"You're such a dork."

"You love it really."

She looked as if she was thinking that one through for a minute but then nodded. "I guess I do." Despite the fact they were in front of all their friends, plus their teachers, plus lots of people they didn't know, Mercedes pulled his head forward and kissed him. It was like everything fell into place then. He kissed her back with the same intensity with which she had kissed him and everyone clapped for them, even the people they didn't know.

"I love you."

"I know," she replied and then added quickly, "I love you too."

* * *

><p><strong>I didn't know how in the world to finish this so hopefully this is good. I hope no one found it odd they were at Will and Emma's wedding. I just thought the glee club would perform and then I turned it into the Samcedes love fest because I freaking can! Haha!<strong>

**Song choices were such a hard decision for this chapter and then it hit me, not literally of course but I realised that I have A Thousand Years on my Samcedes iPod playlist and have so for a while, before I started this story. Then I was on tumblr and someone said they could see Mercedes singing this to Sam. And I just realised. It was like a delayed reaction of sorts, lol. The other song, what can I say? ****I love the Rascal Flatts and that song is one of my favourites of all time so I had to use it.**

**January 17th is in 10 days, guys, 10 days! I am too excited for those summer nights and then two weeks after that it's the MJ tribute episode and (SPOILERS!SPOILERS!) a second Samcedes duet! *fangirls* That's partially why this is kinda later as well. Summer Nights was released, then it was announced there was going to the MJ tribute episode duet. January is gonna be a good month for Samcedians! *dance party for one***

**Finally thank you for all the reviews/alerts/favourites for this story. I know it was short but for something that was meant to be a oneshot I think it went pretty well. I really appreciated every single review/alert/favourite I got/will get after this story is finished. I can't even express how much I appreciate them to be honest.**

**Until my next story,**

**WickedSong x**


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